The Assassination of Haruhi Suzumiya
by Sayble
Summary: Someone wants Haruhi Suzumiya dead.
1. The Attempt

**30 seconds west, approaching objective destination.**

**Target found, initiating termination protocol.**

**...**

**Command Root_21F Action initiated, beginning termination in 30 seconds...27 seconds.**

* * *

><p>Running fast, wind blowing by as I pushed my way through the throngs of startled teenagers. I was running as fast as I could to save maybe the only hope of our planet. She didn't even know me, but if I didn't act in the next 30 seconds...well...<p>

My watch told me I had 24 seconds to go.

Perfect, right on schedule.

_ anata ga ite watashi ga ite..._

She was finishing the song, in about 20 seconds she was about to get a .33 lapua round through the front of that nice looking head.

I could stop it.

All of it...all I had to was...

_dakara watashi tsuiteiku yo..._

Second verse, 15 seconds...

Even with my intense training, running this fast might not be enough to reach her in time...

_kitto anata wa kagayaite..._

Busting through the school assembly doors and ignoring the startled look of the audience, I saw her, clear as day.

"Have you found her Eli?" I was literally sliding down the stair rails as I answered my head com built into my heavily customized ipod, "Oh yeah, shes here alright, but its gonna be a close shave!"

_ my way kasanaru yo  
>ima futari ni God bless...<em>

"Hurry the hell up, you have 10 seconds!"

As I made a mad dash passed startled onlookers, my eyes were quick to assess the situation at hand.

Girl in a bunny outfit playing a guitar, brown hair. Running through the details of my target in a flash of thought, it was nothing less then second nature to assume that she was the designated target.

Then there was that purple haired girl in the witch outfit. My dossier gave me very limited details about her, but she wasn't my priority.

There was also the bystanders. A girl with a fender bass guitar and a brunette drummer played behind the purple haired chick in the witch outfit. They were safe, I assumed once the bullets started flying, they would reach cover relatively fast.

I hoped.

I was able to run this through my mind in less then a second. I was after all, a genius with a 252 IQ.

As the crowd cheered towards the last verse of the song, I was able to make out something barely visible on her forehead.

Red.

_A laser pointer._

It all boiled down to this split second decision. Do or die.

Sliding down the remainder of the assembly railing, I used my forward momentum to propel myself onto the stage and positioned myself to tackle us both into the stage curtains.

I could see her eyes widen in surprise as I grimly flew onto the stage , "Wait, what do you think you're-"

But she wasn't able to say anything else. In less then a second, I tackled her into the curtains...just as gunfire erupted from the window ceiling. I was able to mentally calculate the bullet velocity coming through the top window and planned accordingly.

_292 meters a second. _ Austrian made .33 lapua round. Most likely from a bolt action precision rifle.

The bullet came fast, but I planned for it and brought my padded left shoulder across her face, using the momentum from the tackle to position my back to the gunner scope.

Hopefully, that guy isn't using piercing rounds.

We fell backstage just as the bullet slammed into my side, missing the intended target and driving the breath out of my lungs. Luckily, my combat harness was around my waist and had absorbed most of the impact.

I was still going to feel that bruise tomorrow morning though.

As I pinned the now screaming girl on the wooden floor, I paused to listen for any bullet reverberation, that usually gave away the position of the gunner.

It came. I calculated the bullet velocity with the estimated distance of the gunner. A lot of guesswork, but that was something I was very good at.

292 meters a second, 30 seconds west. He was roughly 8760 meters away. Something like 5.4 miles away. It was an estimation, but my estimations were almost always correct.

The expected screaming from everyone in the room came a second later, as well as the chaos and confusion that always ensues in reaction. It was nothing less then your typical, confused mob of frightened teenagers clamoring to get out.

Perfect cover for our escape.

I sensed someone in a much closer vicinity then the rest of the screaming mob. Roughly 3 feet away. My instincts automatically kicked in and I slowly flicked the handgun holster strap located on my combat harness. I was already playing out the next 5

seconds in my head. I was holding the girl in a kneeling position. If he was already pointing a gun at me, I was going to have to drop the girl as he fired, block the round with my shoulder pad and go for a clean head shot as I turned.

This was going to require insanely quick reflexes, as well as a lot of guessing. I couldn't know exactly when he would fire, but I could usually sense when...

And that would be now.

I simultaneously dropped the girl and pulled out the pistol in one movement, moved my shoulder into the estimated shot destination and spun, using my knee for forward momentum, gun snapping to a firing position, held by my left hand.

But this person wasn't armed. Good thing, I had never actually had to kill anyone on these assignments, I was hoping I didn't have to on this one either.

I relaxed and lowered the gun. It was that purple haired girl in the witch outfit, I recognized her from my dossier in the mission briefing.

Name - Yuki Nagato.

Description - Purple hair, short, brown cardigan, school uniform attire.

Data - Linked with Haruhi Suzumiya, priority number 2.

She quietly closed the curtains, hiding us from anymore gunfire coming from the roof. I made a quick note to observe her demeanor, the way she walked.

Quiet, calm, collected.

I liked that.

"Hey! Answer me! What do you think your doing?" I realized I had been pinning the ungrateful damsel in distress against the backstage floor for the last moment and a half. I released her, hoping she wasn't about to make a run for it.

She got up, crossed her arms and gave me a scowl. "Hmmph, that isn't the proper way to treat a lady you know, is that how you introduce yourself to others, pushing them onto the floor?"

Sarcasm almost made me say yes. However, I had bigger problems then a teenager with an attitude. Problems like...

"GET DOWN!" I grabbed both her and Yuki and forced us both onto the ground. Bullets smashed into the wooden floor as gunfire staccato'd in short bursts, punching holes the size of my fist into the ground.

Whatever attitude Suzumiya had possessed up to this point quickly evaporated as she screamed like a little girl in reaction to the entire front stage demolished by a barrage of rounds, presumably directed at us.

I quickly assessed our position. I had Haruhi, who was struggling for me to let go, and Yuki who lay under me without a sign of protest. Good, at least she knew how serious this was.

The mob of students had already filed out of the exits in a remarkably quick fashion, although some lingered and hid under the assembly chairs. I knew they were toast if they didn't run.

Those rifles sounded a lot closer then the ones fired at us earlier. I realized the sniper was probably just there to scatter the crowd and prevent civilian casualties, they wanted this assassination to be a clean job. Bystander deaths would probably have

resulted in a severe cut in their pay check. Killing her with that first shot would have just saved them the trouble of coming in and spraying the place up, although they would have preferred that sniper to not miss in the first place. I was guessing at least.

The real killers were busting through the main assembly doors using fully automatic, military grade assault rifles designed to stop trucks, they knew someone was going to be sent to protect her, and were equipped accordingly.

Unfortunately, HQ refused to give me any equipment besides my handy dandy heavily customized Sig Saur, a combat knife, and the communications com. Funny how the good guys never get good stuff.

Chancing a small look through a crack in the curtains, I spotted 6, no, 7 heavily armed men and women wearing black combat armor. None of them wore masks, and I could easily tell them apart.

One wore a smug expression as he had quite a blast shooting at random objects in the room, scaring the remaining people in the room. I stifled a small whimper from Haruhi with my free hand. Yuki lay there under me, watching the scene play out with in

silence.

"That's enough, Sako, you've had your fun" I saw that the voice came from the slender blond chick holding a large gun that basically screamed "compensation" I froze in place, instincts telling me to look small, be small, and stay small in the cover of these

curtains. I could not beat these guys, even with my training. Haruhi must have known that because I started to see genuine fear, an actual dilation of her pupils.

I was outgunned and outnumbered, but I've been able to get out of closer scrapes.

"Come on out with the girl, we know your in there!" This time a male voice belonging to a rugged, middle aged chain smoker who was standing there with a huge cigar in his mouth. My speculation was that they were going to have me disarmed, shoot me in

the back of the head while we kneel'ed, and basically do the same thing to Haruhi and Nagato, execution style.

That was a dull way to go, and I really had no intention of coming out with my hands out any time soon. "They aren't coming out, should I go in there and kill em?" He racketed the chamber and pulled back the charging handle. "No, let me handle this."

It was the same, blond haired chick with the oversized shotgun, she took a step forward and starting speaking to what she presumed was us behind the red curtains.

"Listen, this can be a peaceful negotiation. All we want, is the girl, we might even spare your life if you be good kids and come out right this instant". I debated just shooting out the lights and trying to sneak out that way. No, that would just cause them to

fire wildly, hitting me, Haruhi, Nagato, or one of the poor teenagers still stuck in this room.

_They might even shoot each other._

Too much chance involved for something like that. I wasn't about to risk our lives by doing something that rash. Besides, they don't know for sure i'm armed yet. Firing my gun would only result in them not taking chances and shooting anything that moved.

I was better off staying quiet.

My thoughts quickly ran through a list of actions I could try to get us out in one piece.

Then I looked at Yuki.

Her witch outfit. That was all that was needed.

I removed the cloak, leaving Yuki in her brown cardigan mentioned in the dossier. She gave me a very slight, quizzical look as I donned the outfit.

"What are you doing?"

It was a long shot, but I knew it was going to work. It had to work.

* * *

><p><strong>Continuing this later, slightly tired<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>North High Academy assembly hall. Objective Location. Assembly Hall, backstage.<strong>

I was taller then Yuki, but the outfit still fit pretty well. The hat was pulled over my eyes to cover my face. The stage beckoned, time for my opening act.

"Stay here." I motioned them to remain where they were, and slipped through the curtain...

"Well, well, well, look who decided to be a little fashionable today." That woman with the shotgun gave smirked as I delicately made a couple steps down the front stage. It was hard to look delicate when I was strapped with kevlar and a combat harness.

However, they only needed to be convinced I was her for a couple seconds as far as I was concerned. I kept my head bowed, hiding my features. My combat harness would absorb only so many shots from this range if they decided to shoot. Hopefully my

operator wasn't having an off day with his crack shooting.

"Kneel." I was quick to comply. I purposefully shook and gave them the impression that I was terrified. A good show for my operator to say the least.

Truth is, I'm in no danger at all. I'm a master at psychology. Graduated at the top of my class you see, and these are the types of punks who like to play with their food before eventually eating it.

The woman circled behind me, flipping her cascading hair with flourish, and laughed. "I have to say, I am pretty dissapointed, Miss Suzumiya, I thought someone like you would be more...protected. Expected more of a resistance."

She cocked her shotgun. "Well, if it really is that easy..."

Not yet, I knew she wasn't going to fire. She was a talker. They loved to delve into these ridiculous minute monologues and act important. It was something I was taught during training. Beat into my head several times.

_When you have the chance, take it._

It's a good thing these paid hit men don't learn the basics of human psychology. Shame. Apparently, bigger guns is all that matters to them, as well as even bigger pay checks.

Too easy.

"...Then, maybe I wouldn't have to go around doing stuff like this. Stuff like killing you." She sighed. My thoughts snapped back to the present, here we go.

"Anyway, I want to see that pretty face before I blow it off at least."

She strode back around my front, and with a rough tug, took off my hat.

That was when my adrenaline kicked in.

"What-" My reflexes were so fast, she didn't even have time to look shocked as I knocked the gun out of her hand, hit a pressure point, and held her in a tight choke.

It never occurred to me if that they might actually be willing to just disregard her life and try taking us both out. Something that brash wasn't completely out of order, seeing as they were paid assassins.

My suspicions were confirmed a couple seconds later. The chain smoker smiled and pointed his gun at her chest, the rest of them following suit.

"Sorry, Karma, but i'm sure you understand that this isn't anything personal." Her eyes widened in shock as another armored, dark haired assassin gave the grim nod to signal firing. Karma huh, how ironic is that?

She tried to break free from me, but I simply pushed the pressure point on her temple and she screamed in pain. "You bastards!" She screamed, trying again to kick her way out, "Don't tell me your actually gonn-"

They unloaded, hoping to hit me by shooting though her. However, the combined body armor from both me and the impromptu hostage kept me relatively safe. Although for her, I don't know if I could say the same.

My body shook from the impacts of so many rounds coming at such a short distance. Staggering, it was difficult to remain on balance as they pushed us back with the sheer weight of automatic lead.

I counted the bullets. Standard military weapons carried 20-30 rounds on average. It would take less then 2 seconds for them to empty their clips...

*Click*

Showtime.

It was a relatively easy matter of drawing my gun and shooting each of them in the leg, where they dropped to the floor in cries of pain.

The guns were scooped up and placed in a pile on the front stage. I searched each of them for backup weapons and knives. I found handguns on every one of them, as well as combat knives and roughly 2 pounds worth of ammo bricks in their satchels.

I was very thorough, they weren't going to pull any tricks on me anytime soon.

Clean, efficient, and quick, with no one hurt.

All in a days work.

I heard the police sirens. Funny, how they always showed up as things wrapped up.

The cops could take it from here.

I signaled Yuki and Suzumiya to come out. The assassins sat, watching the target come within a meter of their grasp. I knew they wouldn't try anything, the cops were too close, any attempts at escape or a last ditch effort to take her out would result in

basically an instantaneous neutralization from the police which I saw rushing into the room now, guns drawn, checking the vitals on the civilians, and barking orders.

I was getting ready to leave. Being on a classified mission meant not getting questioned by the local police. Besides, it would look better if the police saved the day and rescued the school from a supposedly random shooting.

Masking myself in the witch outfit, I was making a speedy exit towards the emergency fire doors located at the base of the auditorium.

"Wait, where are you going? You never even told me your name!" Not good, she was bringing attention to me, something I did not want with the police around.

I didn't turn nor stop for anything as I sped across the room in a dark blur, ignoring the "Halt!" Of a female police officer, and flying through the side doors.

They tried to chase me outside, but I was too fast. In fact, their eyes could barely track me as I was running at the speed of an accelerating car. Even with 20 pounds of my equipment weighing me down, I could outrun an Olympics track champion without

breaking a sweat.

Once I was a good distance away, hidden in what looked like a classroom, I gave myself a second to breathe, and flicked my com switch.

It was just another day of the life of a top secret agent.

We were in the clear, all I had to do was request a meeting point and we could go home.

My coffee might even still be warm back at the hotel.

Sometimes, with the stress of the day off your shoulders, all you want to do is relax. Smiling, I brought the com to my mouth and flipped the communications switch.

"Hey, that went smoother then I thought, when your ready we can set up a meeting point." There wasn't an answer. The com switch was on, was he having a problem with the communications up there? He was at least 90 meters high in terms of altitude, a

momentary signal block was possible. However, that was unlikely.

Then his voice came, strained, heavy breathing the first thing I made note of. "Eli you gotta go back!"

Freezing in place, I stared at the com for a split second, running through possible errors in our assignment. Another wave of backup assassins is possible, could I have been careless and left Suzumiya in protective custody before HQ secured the perimeter?

"What do you mean...?" I knew instantly something was wrong. He was speaking in short breaths, I could make out the sharp nuances in his voice.

"Eli, listen, they knew we were coming, those guys were just decoys, the real ones...get your ass back there!" The com died in a burst of static. He's injured, judging from the ragged breathing. He was suffering from gunshot wounds, with at least one

punctured lung and and a stab wound.

"Do you need me to call HQ and request an evacuation?" I heard him coughing over the static. He wasn't doing so good.

"No, don't you worry about me Eli, worry about the targets." I heard another fit of coughing as he struggled to clear his throat of what I assumed was blood. "It'll take more then a couple of trigger happy punks to take me out, that inital wave of hostiles was

a decoy to attract the local police, now I need you to listen!"

"But what happen-"

"A group of heavily armed hostiles are approaching the school assembly hall, ETA 30 seconds. I can hold them off, but you gotta extract the target to a safe location, keeping her alive is a top priority, get your ass back there!" I felt a pang of guilt as the sound

of a ratcheted bolt broke the silence over the com.

If he was serious, and the real assassins were coming...

I took a second to digest this information. My past successes have resulted in overconfidence, leaving the targets behind like this was a huge mistake. A mistake that might cost lives.

And now my operator was going to try and fix the problem I was too cocky to even consider.

No one said it, but I knew it came down to how well he could aim today. My operator was the only one who could salvage this mission, there was no way I was going to make it back in 30 seconds and we both knew it. He was just trying to save me face and

avoid humiliation back at HQ.

Even with my intelligence, human nature always got the better of me.

I got off the chair, popped a fresh clip into the Sig.

Damn it, how could I have not seen this coming? I was getting careless, expecting the cops to clean up like that was beyond reckless.

With my previous observations of the weaponry used a minute prior, the police wouldn't stand a chance. Armed with only standard issue glocks. They would get gunned down through superior firepower. Yuki and Suzumiya were still in that room. Police had a

tendency to question bystanders at the scene. I could picture the scene running through my head. The assassins bursting through the front door, gunning everyone down...

And it would be all my fault.

30 seconds...I would never make it.

I looked up into the sky as I ran out the door, weapon drawn.

_It was all you, buddy._


	2. The Rooftop

**2131 Meters west. 92 meters in altitude. Nishinomiya bank. Top of the roof.**

30 seconds...

The wind was strong up here. Strong enough to throw his shot wide and give me the split second needed to close distance and clock him over the head with my M21. The struggle was quick, albeit brutal. He was able to fire off 2 rounds as I tried to disarm

him, something my Kevlar wasn't able to completely stop at a point blank distance. The bastard also had a hidden switch knife under his sleeve. I was too focused on the more immediate threat of the firearm to see the blade coming... and paid for it when he

slipped the thing under my left rib.

That was roughly a second before I knocked him out cold. The failed killer still lay in a daze, disarmed and hogtied. I kept a wary field of my peripheral vision on his unconscious form, even as I looked through the scope.

Breathing hard, it was difficult to remain conscious. The dressing was only able to staunch the blood flow by a limited amount. I was going to slip out of consciousness in a couple of minutes.

It's a good thing I only needed 30 seconds.

I surveyed the carnage that was currently unfolding in the school. 7 tangos, heavily armed, none were masked.

Headed straight into the barricade of police.

I swivel the scope and take a look at what I assume was going to be a bloodbath in about 5 seconds. I could see the chief with a microphone, standing up and yelling what I assumed was an order to drop their weapons.

Maybe they would, maybe if he said please.

Fat chance.

I watched as the next couple seconds consisted of watching the outer perimeter of police get steamrolled by those guys. You can't just go up against Kevlar like that with a handgun, these local cops didn't have the weaponry, nor did they have the training.

Damn, poor guys, maybe if they cleared out faster...

My vision was beginning to blur, the blood loss was already exacting a heavy toll on my condition. The knuckles on my hands were already turning white.

I lost him. This bastard, he's so fast, it wouldn't hurt to let him tell me what the hell he was up to every once in a while.

I pulled the com to my mouth, still steadying the rifle. "Eli, I lost you, where the hell is your position?"

The reply came back a second later, he didn't sound hurt. "I'm going as fast as I can, there's a lot of people still in this school, I don't want anyone getting caught in a crossfire." Static.

I swept the scope back towards the 7 tangos. I had to take a shot now, my arm was already shaking from the blood loss, I wouldn't be able to ignore my critical condition for long.

He wouldn't make it back in time. Those guys were too close and those damn cops didn't stall them one bit.

Yeah, forcing them to scatter and taking a couple of them out is the only option.

The first target, one of them in the middle, they all looked the same. Same outfit, all wore dark balaclava.

Didn't really matter which one I shot, the end result would be the same. They get taken out and splintered into separate groups, the cops clean up from there.

Nevertheless, killing them is something I always try to avoid, I didn't sign up to be as low as the guys I was trying to stop.

At this distance, the wind wouldn't alter my bullet trajectory too much, 2000 meters isn't too far... A simple leg shot would suffice.

Line up the crosshair...

bingo.

Hold my breath...3...2...1...

**BANG**

It hit landed square in the ankle. The effect was instantaneous. He fell and grabbed his leg, they scattered, the cops moved in... and gunfire erupted from all sides.

I realized too late that I just instigated a gun fight. By firing the first shot, I just condemned more cops to a grisly death via assault rifles.

No time to think about that, my vision was already blurring. I could get 2, maybe 3 more if I didn't miss.

The second shot was a lot more difficult. By now, taking a breath made me light headed. It was like breathing underwater, Jesus Christ!

The shot still landed. The target tripped as the Winchester round ripped through his leg. A clean take down.

It was a good way to soften them up, give the cops a more manageable opposition. Yeah, 5 bad guys left? no problem right, the cops could...

"Hey! I'm hearing gunfire out there, what's the situation" In all the excitement, I had forgotten that my com was on the whole time, he must have heard me fire the Winchester and assumed I was engaging.

I couldn't answer the com, at this point, doing anything else would make me pass out...I had to at least take one more shot.

"Hey! What's going on up there?" The trigger was pulled again, and the bullet hit home.

Then it all faded to black.


	3. The Revelation

**Status Diagnostic - Alive**

**Location - Kouyouen Assembly Hall**

**2021 Meters East**

**Kouyouen Academy**

**Subject - Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Secondary Objective - Yuki Nagato**

**Stand By...**

**Running Diagnostic...**

**Potential HOSTILE personnel approaching KOUYOUEN COURTYARD - CAFETERIA at a velocity of 21.4 mph**

**Current location- Running Diagnostic...**

**Personnel located 121 meters east, KOUYOUEN ROOM**

**ERROR- RUN TIME ERROR: PERSONNEL CONFIRMED TO BE HOSTILE**

**...**

**Initiating termination protocol 21**

**Objective Reaffirmed - Termination of Haruhi Suzumiya**

**Secondary Objective Reaffirmed - Termination of Yuki Nagato**

* * *

><p>There was no answer. Static on the other end, however, meant that his chatter was still on. For 5 heart stopping moments I waited, afraid the worst had come, then<p>

logic overtook my irrational thoughts clouded through emotion. The fear, the primal instincts that had begun to kick in stopped as I had suppressed all notions of doubt.

The grueling months of mental training spent under my instructor had driven the fear and emotional part of my brain into a secondary function. Nonexistent really, I had

no emotion, only logic. "Emotion is a weakness." My instructor used to say. "Emotion is the invisible umbilical cord that is tied to your brain. Cut if out, you don't need it

anymore."

Over the course of my training I had learned to shut out that side of myself. My "weak" side, they would call it. In theory, this would allow a more calm and collected

response in the face of extreme danger, shut out panic during situations that demanded it, allow a stronger rational thought process, and would make me harder to

break in case I was ever interrogated...

It also turned me into somewhat of a loner.

Insanity would have taken me during the rigorous mental and physical training were it not for my soon to be operator, also known as one of the few companions I have.

Countless missions after training, all the radio chatter between us could run up a phone bill as high as the gas prices nowadays.

Not that any of this would matter.

At the end of the day, we were both breathing, and that is all that concerned me.

Now here I am, the only person presumably still conscious on one line.

Logic, however, knew he was still alive. I had detected faint but audible signs of a breath being drawn, much to my relief. I had also heard him collapse. I deduced his

cause of incapacitation to be from the gunfire heard earlier...

Gunfire...

*PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR*

I was thrown back into reality, my thought process had only wasted roughly 5 seconds. 2 seconds composing myself, another 3 to deduce my operators condition.

Back to the task at hand...

The gunfire wasn't too far off. I could tell the real assailants were packing automatic rifles simply by listening. Someone was funding this operation, or the assailants

themselves were expensive and trained. Either way, I was going to have to shoot people, like it or not. The threats were too dangerous to take any chances, I had to

assume they were mercenaries of the highest caliber (No pun intended).

*Click* the familiar sound of a clip sliding into its chamber.

I checked the Sig Saur as I ran, 9 rounds per clip, each round coated with metal to reinforce and add more weight to the bullet. The rounds were intended to pass

through targets cleanly and not leave a huge whole, lessening the chances of the target bleeding to death. I used them mainly to cripple and neutralize.

However, today was going to be an exception.

I switched the clips, pulling out another, lighter variant of the same caliber. Antipersonnel rounds, designed for urban and close range engagements. These rounds

disperse and flatten upon contact, spreading the kinetic force of the round and ensuring a larger bullet wound. The bullet is markedly slowed by body armor however, but

in close engagements like this, bullets penetrate most things under 200 meters anyway.

I sighed. I was hoping bloodshed could be avoided. Death was something I never grew comfortable with, even after training.

But these mercs knew what they signed up for.

So did I.


	4. The Gunfight

**"This is Nomura Police patrol squad 12B, we are heavily outgunned and outnumbered, Aiko is down! I repeat Aiko is - *Gunfire*I repeat we need assi-!"**

**"Nomura Police patrol squad 13B requesting backup at Kouyouen Academy location 18105 Aganai, heavily armored suspects approaching Kouyouen Academy-"**

***Static***

**"Your gonna be okay Aiko! Hold on the *Gunfire* second squad is on the way! Don't you die on me buddy, we're gonna make it through-*Gunfire*"**

**"This is Nomura Police HQ requesting all currently active units to proceed towards 18105 Aganai Kouyouen Academy, initiating complete lockdown procedures,**

**be advised suspects are heavily armored and direct confrontation is discouraged. Quarantine all surrounding crossroads leading to Kouyouen Academy."**

**"This is squad 15B, currently underway, ETA 3 minutes, what's your situation?"**

***Static*"This is bad! This is really - *Gunfire* 6 Police Officers have been critically injured! Most of the front gate is a *Gunfire* hell hole! My squad car is **

**completely decimated, we're *Gunfire* boxed in and unable to move from this position! they have me and Aiko pinned down under the main gate! Damnit, here **

**they come again get down!**** *Gunfire*"**

**"Copy, this is 17B approaching the front gate- OH SHIT REN TURN THE CAR! TURN THE-*Static***

* * *

><p>With a swift kick I had flung open the doors leading out into the courtyard.<p>

At a glance, I can see 8 armed and armored assailants firing at a parked squad car roughly situated under the main gate.

I cursed.

This is bad.

Those cops are screwed unless I do something.

Stealing glances from behind the wooden double doors I make out 2 policemen amid the bullet ridden car wreck.

One was conscious, yelling into what I assumed is a radio device. The other individual was more...unconscious.

Both were wounded as far as I could tell, either from surrounding shrapnel or direct bullet wounds. Gunfire rattled off and reverberated throughout the courtyard

as more rounds slammed into the squad hull.

They were stuck, any attempts at leaving would turn them into target practice for 12.5mm assault rifles.

Saving them meant dispatching 8 bad guys by myself in a straight up gunfight, whatever hope of backup entering the scene became lost as I saw another squad car not too far off.

It was riddled with bullets, the frontal hull completely totaled. The car had crashed into a telephone pole after the tires were shot out.

Poor guys, they were either seriously injured or dead. I hated to think of the latter.

It became apparent that I was going to have to use reflexes and fast thinking to save anyone in this situation.

I had to act now. These guys had to go down, they were approaching the frontal gates rapidly, and I doubt those cops were going to do anything

but die in a couple seconds.

I sucked in my breath, preparing myself for the possibility of death or serious injury. There was no time for complex plans, it's too late for that now.

Steeling myself for the worst, I shouldered through the doors, bursting into a high speed sprint.

My reflexes kicked in, time seemed to slow. They had seen me now, and were swiveling their weapons in my direction.

Eyes tracked each figure, mentally photographing their positions as I dived under a metal container. I would remember their stances, weapon angles, weapons, and

could deduce where they were going, which cover was going to most probably be used and by whom.

6 of the nearest assailants I could guess were rushing me, judging from their close proximity and aggressive posture.

A split second later, I had vaulted over the container, right arm bringing my Sig Saur to bear.

Momentum sent me barreling forward as I shot the first 2 assailants in the chest, the sleeping rounds bringing them both down simultaneously.

My left shoulder took the brunt of the fall as I landed, jarring my side. I transitioned into a roll and brought myself into a sprint.

Bullets flew past my shoulder, their chances of hitting me out here was very high, and it was only going to get higher until I took them out.

An assailant popped his arm out over a trash can to take a couple shots at me. I responded with an accurate shot that got him in the elbow.

The trash can rattled as I leapt over it and moved across the parking lot, quickly diving under a red sedan, the finish being peeled away by 12.5 millimeter assault rounds as I seeked refuge.

I stood up and quickly fired off 3 shots, hitting multiple targets, the fast acting sleep agent bringing them down where they stood.

Avoiding the return fire, I dropped to replace my empty clip. With a familiar *click* the clip slid into place and the handgun's charger popped back

into its standard position.

I mentally counted how many assailants were still standing...

3 left.

I kept track of their positions as I moved to the front of the car.

The sound of boots crunching gravel as I hear one of the guys trying to rush me.

It happens in an instant, I know he's rounding the corner to face me, I see the tip of his rifle peek around the corner and grab it with my left hand, momentum carrying us forward and wrenching the barrel of his rifle into the sky, away from both of us.

He grunts as we wrestle over control of the weapon, but I need to end this quickly, before his 2 other buddies come around and get a clear shot off.

I drop to one knee with a hand on his rifle and throw him over my shoulder, using my hip and his gun as leverage. Footsteps can be heard as the other two try to come around the car for a clear shot.

Roughly 5 meters away, I have about a second to prepare.

The disarmed assailant scrambles to his feet, knife drawn, at this distance I won't have enough time to draw my Sig Saur.

I'll have to shoot him with the rifle.

No.

_"You're better then that Eli"_

You're right. I am.

He closes, and I duck underneath the swing, the amateur move gives way his inexperience.

If this was an actual knife fight, he'd already be dead.

Reversing my grip on the carbine, I slam the buttstock into his groin, before bringing the entire rifle across his face, metal breaking the cartilage in his nose with a spray of blood.

He drops, clutching his face in pain, I turn to the guy rounding the corner, I'm already sure his buddy isn't too far behind.

2 meters, he's right in front of the car.

I drop the rifle.

I'm better off using my hands here, the Sig Saur isn't going to act fast enough before they get a shot off.

He strafes the corner, it's fast but I have time to grab the gun with both hands and slam my head against his.

1 meter, his buddy has just shown up, I hear the click of rifling as he brings the gun to bear.

I've got about a second to react before he shoots me in the back.

Swinging my right leg behind my assailant, I position myself to his side before dropping to the ground, taking him with me, left leg tripping him up.

Bullets fly overhead in slow motion, another burst of adrenaline as I grab the knife from his back pocket and draw an arm back, aiming for the other guy's leg.

A breath, and I release the blade, but i'm slightly off, it catches him, but I think the harness on his thigh stopped the blade from entering his leg, caught between the pistol

holster and his waist belt.

Damn it.

Rolling to my right, I slide underneath the car and spring to a crouch, knees straining as I try to get around him.

From behind the Sedan, his buddy has already recovered and has followed me, unarmed.

The first punch comes from his right hand, which is my left side. Thing is, his equipment weights him down, maybe if he wasn't lugging around 20 pounds of

ammo bricks the punch wouldn't take an eternity to land.

Ducking under in a leftward motion, his fist passes right over my head, I allow the momentum to bring him past my right side before bringing my right leg forward past his left and sweeping it backwards, bringing him down to his left knee. With the same leg, I launch my foot into his solar plexus, knocking him onto his back.

Footsteps, I can hear the last assailant coming in with his rifle bared.

I'm not near enough to contest for his weapon, I'll have to think fast.

As he strafes around the car, I slide a foot under a fallen rifle and launch it into the air.

I spin to face him, right arm grabbing the gun by it's handle, dropping to a crouch, left arm bringing back the charger.

Shaking the magazine to make sure it's loaded, there's very minimal sound, I assume the clip is at full capacity.

Considering that 12.5mm rounds are larger than your average NATO round, I'm estimating that the rifle has at most 25 bullets.

As he fires, I can see it, my minds eye tracks the estimated trajectory of each bullet and velocity.

Pulling the trigger on my rifle, I fire back, each bullet knocking his out of it's intended flight in a spray of sparks, effectively intercepting them.

A second later, I hear the click of an empty rifle.

His eyes widen in surprise. "Impossibl-"

But i've already knocked him out cold.

His buddy stirs not too far off, I shoot him in the leg with my Sig Saur, the sedation will take place momentarily.

Those cops, I heard radio chatter not too far off.

They're hurt bad.

Logic is telling me to leave them behind.

_Haruhi is the first priority, you're wasting time here._

I want to leave, I need to reach the LZ...

With a sigh, I make my way towards the burning wreck.


	5. Ultimatum

Hey.

It's been two years since I updated this.

Guess i'll get to work, the story doesn't write itself you know.

* * *

><p><strong>"Sir, Tali and Jakiro have both gone dark"<strong>

**"What? Impossible, I didn't pay them to be stopped by common police patrol squads."**

**"The entire Vector unit has gone dark sir."**

**"What?! Radio them in, give me a feed on their whereabouts and status right now!"**

**"Negative, all radio lines are unresponsive, no one is taking the feed."**

**"Dammit! Without anyone on the coms we're running completely blind, why the hell have they not reported in yet? Reiko, restart those signals, we have to find **

**out what the hell is going on!"**

**"I checked, all frequencies are up but no one is respond-"**

**"Give me that damn you! All units to Redline, respond! I repeat, all units to Redline, respond!"**

***static***

**"Dammit!"**

**"Commander radio lines have been cut, there is no way of reaching them from this signal."**

**"Switch to the emergency broadcast, try to reach someone. _Anyone!_"**

**"Roger."**

**"...This should have been a clean sweep, what the hell is taking them so long?!"**

**"Sir."**

**"Reiko, tell me you found someone!"**

**"I have, it's Rook."**

**"Give me the coms! Rook, can you hear me?!"**

***static***

**"Hello?! Rook, this is Redline, respond, I repeat, This is Redline, respond!"**

***static***

**"Commander this line is using an intercepted radio signal from Kouyouen academy, the interference is too much for him to hear us."**

**"Re calibrate the signals, can you get us a better feed?"**

**"I can try, however there really isn't much I can do with what we have."**

**"Get on it!"**

**"Roger."**

**_Damn. This is bad. Really bad. How in the hell did they know we were coming if this op was clean?!_  
><strong>

**"Negative, commander, the line being used was never meant for long distance mainstay. I'm sorry but-"**

**"...Who..."**

**"What was that?"**

**"Restart that line! I want all lights green right now! Rook, can you hear me?!"**

**"Restarting!"**

**"...was he...?"**

**"Rook! Respond! What's going on?!"**

**"...He...knew..."**

**"Knew? Who? Who knew?! Reiko stabilize the line we're losing him!"**

***Static***

**"Dammit! Get him back on the line!"**

**"...That...we were gunning for her...for...Suzumiya..."**

***Static***


	6. Conscience

In training, we used to have these small games.

A game of discipline.

Run another day without any water.

Transcend the needs of your own body.

It's a mind game, you trick yourself into thinking that you don't need these things, and your body complies.

I could never do it. My operator was always telling me push through the thirst.

"You and I may be flesh and bone, but we have to become something greater then that."

Hah.

3 days without a drink? you gotta be kidding me.

Luckily the water my operator always seemed to bring in always managed to satisfy my burning thirst in those grueling training runs.

That is until I realized the water...

Was my operator's weekly ration.

The sly bastard, making me feel bad while he wasted away on the fields like that.

* * *

><p><strong>Kouyouen Academy<strong>

**1230 Hours**

**..**

* * *

><p>He was choking.<p>

"How did you...*cough*"

I moved quickly, using the sparse amount of medical equipment I had to staunch the intense bleeding from his side.

But I was no doctor, and he was no superman. He was living off of borrowed time.

I felt a pang of sorrow, beneath my hard calculations and logical mannerism was a human being, hard as I tried to suppress that.

I had the guy by his collar, the wounds were bad, without proper dressing he would bleed out within minutes.

I had done my best, but the 12.5 rounds had been too effective, he didn't have much time.

A cursory glance of my surroundings give me a rundown of the situation.

SWAT

I wasn't fast enough, the cop was done for.

I realized my grip was constricting his windpipe and loosened the hold on his collar.

He sputtered for a second, then laughed, a painful, strained laugh.

"You can stop trying to be a hero...*cough* haha" He was delirious, his body was shutting down.

I looked underneath his police uniform to search for shrapnel wounds...

The results were appalling.

Amidst the burns and bruises were large shards of debris strewn around his abdominal area.

Treatment would require suturing the likes I simply did not have the skills for.

The crash was hard, but the explosion must have been what done them in.

Had I been a couple seconds earlier...

_Hang on kid! I'm getting you out!_

_The fuselage! it's on fire! Ren! save yourself!_

_No way am I leaving you behind, kid, you're just a rookie!_

_Are you insane?! There's no way we can both make it, the counterbalance will set it off if too much weight is applied through the front._

_Then you go first! I'll be back here, just go, kid!_

_Wait! Get back! It's gonna blow!_

I looked to my left, the rookie called Ren was well enough, save for the major bruises from the crash. Tears were streaming down his face as I attempted to treat the older cop's wounds...

We both knew it was a futile attempt, but I kept trying.

I would require nonepinephrine in order to lower the adrenaline levels to slow the blood flow, however field operatives were only given basic equipment to stop minor wounds.

He had already lost roughly 3 gallons of blood, it was becoming harder to steady his movements as the body would react violently to the amount of blood loss.

I watched as the older cop forced the rookie out the front window before the thing exploded.

I was too damn late.

But I kept dressing his wounds with strips of medical cloth, despite my logic telling me it was a done deal, despite the odds of him surviving being a 1/323 chance factoring in the lack of medical equipment and anti-antibiotics to stop the burns.

My mind told me to stop...

but my heart told me something very different.

It was only when a heavy hand was laid upon my shoulder did I cease my relentless medical ministrations.

I looked up, overcome with my failure to do this one small deed.

The cop, an older, probably more disgruntled man in his youth, stared back, a smile upon his face.

"Don't feel bad for me..."

"But...make sure the kid gets out."

I nodded blankly.

"The kid..." He looks over to the rookie. "I...I owe him that much."

Then, with a final sigh, the grip on my shoulder slackens, and falls

A gasp snapped me out of the sullen trance I had fallen into. I looked to my left,

"...Dante...? Dante?! DANTE!"

I can only passively watch as Ren, the cop, someone I had only met a couple seconds ago, curses the heavens and slams his fist upon the hard gravel surface, red marks scarring his knuckles as he violently outlets his emotions.

I'm caught in a dilemma: The kid's obviously in shock, field intelligence was telling me that more hostiles were on the way to clean up, he wouldn't make it.

However, I had to move quickly, Suzumiya was probably halfway to the estimated extraction zone, I had to be there in order to intercept her.

Looking down, I realized he would only slow me down...

It wasn't worth it, without a reliable form of travel, and without my operator to guide me, I would have less then 30 minutes to reach her.

I couldn't risk it.

A surrealism began to manifest itself in my consciousness as I slowly turned upon the two and made my way down the rode, a brisk pace, my Sig Saur loaded, antipersonnel rounds snapped into the spare clip I had carried for extended operations.

The mission took precedence over anyone.

_You and I aren't so different, eh, Eli? You just gotta roll with the punches..._

Damn.

I stopped.

That kid wouldn't make it.

I have the choice, why is this so difficult for me?

Just walk.

Walk away and don't look back.

But I can't.

I'm kind of frustrated with myself, but I turn.

"Let's go, there'll be more of them you know."

He doesn't answer.

This is a huge waste of time, each second that passes is a literal detriment to the mission.

"The guy is right, you're not gonna last second when the clean up crew arrives to put you down along with any and all stragglers."

It's true, those cops had no chance.

And he knows it.

Ren, gets up. Looks me in the eye, an expression of distrust and confusion are what I make out.

And something else.

Fear.

He's afraid.

Gunmen, dead bodies, and more of it.

I don't blame him.

"Where are we going...?"

I recall a police station on the way down the Kouyouen intersection towards downtown.

That's right, I can drop him off there and continue on towards the LZ with minimal time lost.

If only minimal was enough, every second counts and I'm wasting it here.

"We gotta go, come with me."

I set off at a jog, rookie in tow, heavy breathing lets me know that the guy isn't too far behind.

A couple minutes and we're off the school campus completely, we make our way to an abandoned apartment, ignoring the "foreclosure" sign overlooking the main doorway.

Curse my own ineptitude, I should have escorted her personally.

Now we have an entire mess to sort out.

"What are we doing here?" I ignore the small query, there isn't time for idle chit chat.

"Stay here." He nods, and picks a spot on the ground to sulk.

Going further into the back of the building, I see the door leading into a bathroom.

Funny, because it's anything but.

I flush the urinals in a very particular order.

...Can't believe they still work to be honest.

3-2-3-1-2.

In response, a compartment opens up behind the second bathroom stall.

HQ has small areas like this in case a mission goes completely awry. Our home away from home, kind of.

The smell is so musty.

I enter the underground parking lot, damn place has gone unused for a long time.

Hitting the play button on my ipod, a song plays off in the distance.

First a small refraction of light, then a metallic gleam as the camouflage wears off.

The black finish can use some work, but otherwise it's almost completely unmarked.

The motorcycle hums to life as I come into proximity.

Well at least the coding works, but whoever designed it needs to shut off the music, really kills it for me.

My trusty steed, ZERO.

One leg is hinged over the side as I climb onto the leather seat.

"Going for a ride, are we? I was starting to feel a little ignored"

The robotic, yet friendly voice of an english butler greets me through the interface on the portable video feed.

"Good evening ZERO, requesting designation to LZ coordinates, I would prefer a manual control this time thanks very much."

"Of course, you sound slightly disappointed, uploading the LZ schematics now."

I ignore the small jibe.

"Take us out of here, will you?"

"With pleasure, keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all-"

"Just go."

"Of course."

In a couple seconds, the roar of my 3500 HP GTRX engine is heard from down the hall as we make our way out the building.

The rookie is completely dumbfounded as I bust through the front doors, shattering the glass and skidding onto the concrete sidewalk.

"It's the middle of the day! Did you park a motorcycle in a bathroom? I'm a new cop but that's illegal-"

"Get on."

"Oh you have a new friend, I presume? Going for a double dat-"

"Enough, lets go."

If the rookie is shocked by the fact that my motorcycle can talk, he doesn't show it and quickly clambers onto the makeshift backseat.

The initial purchase is slightly awkward, but he finds a solid handhold on my back.

The interface shows the distance from me and the LZ, with the police station roughly a quarter of the way there.

This should be easy enough.

"ZERO, let's go."

With a curt "As always" The engines rumble and I kick back the motorcycle stand as we speed off towards the highway, the boosters accelerating at a speed

of over 150 mph.


End file.
